Mashed Potato Throwdown - Reviews

The best mashed potatoes are homemade; that's a given.  However, sometimes I don't have potatoes on hand, or I don't have the time, or I don't have the energy to make them.....  So I've been known to buy a few shortcuts.   Here are my personal reviews for three brands.

#1 Bob Evans Original Mashed Potatoes are my favorite of the group.  They're easy to heat up, the container doesn't contain BPA, the flavor is great, they're smooth without being too pureed, and the seasonings are pitch-perfect (not too salty, nice homemade flavor).  They're around $3.99 retail, but I usually buy them on sale.  In my grocery store, they're refrigerated next to the chicken nuggets and fresh pasta.  It's odd, since the Simply Potatoes (seen below) are in a different section of the store.  Rating: ****

#2 Simply Potatoes Traditional Mashed Potatoes come in second.  Points off for a BPA #7 plastic container.   The flavor is good, real butter is great, but I think the texture is a bit too mashed (as if they use a giant blender) to seem homemade.  They do taste good, and taste even better on sale (they're usually $3.89, but I've bought them on sale for as little as $1.89 or $2.50 at Key Food.)  I've found that heating them in an oven instead of a microwave makes them taste even better...but then there's the issue of time.  This method works well when I'm baking chicken in the oven already, so it's already hot.  The Simply Potatoes are refrigerated, and in my grocery store, they're next to the eggs, butter, and refrigerated dough.  Why?  I don't know.  Rating: *** 1/2

#3 Ore-Ida Steam n'Mash Cut Russet Potatoes come in last, way last.  I was disappointed.  You may have seen the ads...a woman so frustrated by the prospect of peeling all those potatoes...but along comes Steam n'Mash!  Now she just has to mash them, add milk, add butter...it's almost as much work.  But the real issue I have here is taste.  Ore-Ida has over-salted these potato chunks to the point that I find them almost inedible.  Although I like being able to adjust the amount of milk and butter to my liking, I find it quite frustrating that they are over-salted.  Also, the texture of these potatoes is all wrong.  They seem stringy or gritty...or a little bit raw.  There's something off, even though I cook them for the whole required ten minutes in the microwave (another draw back--that's a lot of energy!).  It seems like they are undercooked.  Steam n'Mash potatoes are in the freezer, next to Ore-Ida frozen French fries.  I usually buy them only on sale, and then only out of desperation, for $3.33 (or 3 for $10, but I never buy 3).  Rating: **